What Kind of Turtle Is the Freshwater "Wealth Turtle"? Market Price per Jin and Breeding Methods
The wealth turtle, also known as the false softshell, fly river turtle, and pig-nosed turtle, is a unique species among freshwater turtles with high ornamental value, and many people keep it as a pet. So what kind of turtle is the wealth turtle? What is the market price per jin? How do you raise it?
1. What kind of turtle is it?
1. Introduction
The wealth turtle, whose scientific name is the two-clawed softshell, also called the false softshell, pig-nosed turtle, and fly river turtle, is one of the most unique species among turtles. Its distribution is limited to northern Australia, southern Irian Jaya, and southern New Guinea, and it is the only surviving species in the family Carettochelyidae. It is highly aquatic and, apart from laying eggs, lives in water year-round, which is why its limbs have specialized into flippers like those of a sea turtle, something that is also unique among freshwater turtles. Its snout is long and fleshy, resembling a pig's snout, which earned it the reputation of the “wealth turtle”.
2. Feeding habits
(1) What does it eat?
① What do adult turtles eat?
The wealth turtle has a fairly broad diet and will eat rice grains, wheat, peas, small fish, shrimp, insects, snails, and more, among which its favorite foods are small fish, snails, corn, and rice grains. When raised in captivity, to meet the various nutritional needs required for the wealth turtle's growth and to avoid stunted development and anorexia caused by a single-type feed, a variety of feeds should be used, such as animal-based feeds like fish, shrimp, snails, and river mussels, and plant-based feeds like rice grains, wheat, and corn.
② What do juvenile turtles eat?
Juvenile turtles tend toward carnivory, so you can feed more animal-based bait such as fish, shrimp, beef, earthworms, and bloodworms to meet their growth needs. Because the wealth turtle's limbs are specialized into flippers, which are not suited for tearing food, the food should be cut into appropriately small pieces before feeding so the turtle can swallow them.
In addition, juvenile turtles generally do not like plant foods, but some keepers believe they rather like millet, bananas, pears, and other relatively sweet fruits and vegetables. You can also try feeding them various aquatic plants such as tape grass, hornwort, and stonewort to help balance their nutrition.
(2) Feeding tips:
The wealth turtle is generally fed once every 3 days, and the amount can be increased or decreased as appropriate depending on the size of the turtle. Generally, feed about 5-10% of its body weight; in spring and autumn, when temperatures are moderate and appetite is stronger, you can appropriately increase the amount, and before winter arrives, feed a bit more than usual.
(3) Feeding precautions:
① Fixed amount
The amount of feed given depends on air temperature, water quality, the turtle's appetite, and its activity level, and it is best if a little remains after the meal. Generally, feed once every 1-2 days.
② Fixed location
Set up fixed feeding points at intervals along the edge of the pond, and the feeding platform at each feeding point should be close to the water surface so the turtle can swallow food with the water. Feeding at fixed locations is meant to let the turtle develop a habit, making it easier for it to find food, and also making it easier to observe the turtle's activity and check its food intake.
③ Fixed quality
The feed given should be kept fresh, and after feeding, leftover food should be removed promptly to prevent the feed from rotting and smelling, which would affect the turtle's appetite and pollute the water quality.
2. Market price:
1. Small wealth turtle: about 250 yuan
2. Medium wealth turtle: about 500 yuan
3. Large wealth turtle: about 1000 yuan.
Prices also differ somewhat from city to city, and as for exactly how much one costs, there is no way to give an accurate figure. If it is just kept as a companion pet in an ordinary household, I think that as long as you like it and feel a connection with it, the most important thing is that you like it and the price is reasonable.
3. Breeding techniques:
1. Temperature
The wealth turtle is a poikilothermic animal. When the water temperature drops below 15°C, it lies still at the bottom and begins hibernating. When the water temperature rises back above 15°C at the turn of spring and summer, it begins to move about and forage. The most suitable temperature is 25-30°C, and it stops feeding above 35°C.
2. Light
Place the small turtle where sunlight can reach it, but avoid direct blazing sun, and provide a shaded area and a pond or basin of water for rest and play. Also, small turtles are fairly active, and a moderate amount of exercise helps their bone development.
3. Water quality management
During raising, decide whether to change the water based on how clean it is. When the water is found to be polluted or murky, it should be changed. In summer, change the water more frequently; in winter, change it less; and during hibernation, change it even less, and the new water added should be about 1-2°C higher than the usual water temperature.
4. Diseases and prevention
(1) Scabies disease
First isolate the sick turtle for raising, squeeze out all the contents of the scabies, wipe the affected area with iodine, apply oxytetracycline powder, and then insert a cotton ball coated with oxytetracycline or chlortetracycline eye ointment into the affected area. Then place the sick turtle in shallow water; for turtles that have stopped eating, force-feed them and mix antibiotic drugs into their feed.
(2) Parotitis
Give intramuscular injections of streptomycin sulfate. Inject 200,000 units per kilogram of body weight. Inject continuously for 3 days. For mild cases, soak in oxytetracycline solution (place 3 tablets of oxytetracycline in every 10 kg of water) for 30 minutes.